PRAYERS FOR BIDEN

Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger prayed that President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “will guide our nation with justice, integrity and courage,” in a statement released after Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States - and second Catholic - on Wednesday, Jan. 20.

“As President Biden assumes the executive office, we pray that he and Vice President Harris will guide our nation with justice, integrity and courage as we face unprecedented challenges,” Bishop Scharfenberger wrote. “Although Americans have disagreements on key, non-negotiable issues — the most critical being respect for and protection of all human life from conception to natural death — the new president has stated that his Catholic faith is important to him and the human values it bears witness to will help form many of his positions on policies that address the care and dignity of the human person.

"Our country is only as strong as the weakest among us. Our hope and prayer is that President Biden and his administration will keep that truth at the heart of their policies and programs.”

President Biden, a lifelong Catholic, has often leaned on his faith and attended Mass at St. Matthew Cathedral in Washington hours before his inauguration. Vice President Harris also made history on Wednesday in becoming the first woman and the first woman of color to be vice president.

Among those invited to the Mass were House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, a Catholic, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, new Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, tweeted, "Such an honor to be able to attend the inaugural church service this morning at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew. It is aptly called the 'Mass of Thanksgiving.'"

The inauguration of President Biden comes just two weeks to the day after unrest shook the nation and the world after extremists loyal to President Donald Trump rampaged through the U.S. Capitol - the exact same site where Biden took the oath of office Wednesday - in an attempt to disrupt the certification of Biden’s Electoral College victory. 

Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, were killed, and dozens of officers were injured as a result of the melee that followed a rally where President Trump and other speakers charged the election had been stolen from Trump, even after his lawyers lost over 60 lawsuits in court, including the Supreme Court. Biden won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes and by an Electoral College margin of 306 to 232.

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, also offered prayers for Biden and looked forward to working with the new president.

"Working with President Biden will be unique, however, as he is our first president in 60 years to profess the Catholic faith," Archbishop Gomez wrote. "In a time of growing and aggressive secularism in American culture, when religious believers face many challenges, it will be refreshing to engage with a President who clearly understands, in a deep and personal way, the importance of religious faith and institutions. Mr. Biden’s piety and personal story, his moving witness to how his faith has brought him solace in times of darkness and tragedy, his longstanding commitment to the Gospel’s priority for the poor — all of this I find hopeful and inspiring.

"At the same time, as pastors, the nation’s bishops are given the duty of proclaiming the Gospel in all its truth and power, in season and out of season, even when that teaching is inconvenient or when the Gospel’s truths run contrary to the directions of the wider society and culture. So, I must point out that our new President has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender. Of deep concern is the liberty of the Church and the freedom of believers to live according to their consciences."  

Archbishop Gomez added that "the continued injustice of abortion remains the “preeminent priority.”   

"Rather than impose further expansions of abortion and contraception, as he has promised, I am hopeful that the new President and his administration will work with the Church and others of good will. My hope is that we can begin a dialogue to address the complicated cultural and economic factors that are driving abortion and discouraging families," Archbishop Gomez wrote. "My hope, too, is that we can work together to finally put in place a coherent family policy in this country, one that acknowledges the crucial importance of strong marriages and parenting to the well-being of children and the stability of communities. If the President, with full respect for the Church’s religious freedom, were to engage in this conversation, it would go a long way toward restoring the civil balance and healing our country’s needs.  

"President Biden’s call for national healing and unity is welcome on all levels. It is urgently needed as we confront the trauma in our country caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the social isolation that has only worsened the intense and long-simmering divisions among our fellow citizens."  

Pope Francis prayed that President Joe Biden would work to heal the divisions in U.S. society and promote human dignity and peace around the globe.

"Under your leadership, may the American people continue to draw strength from the lofty political, ethical and religious values that have inspired the nation since its founding," the pope wrote in a congratulatory message Jan. 20. Popes traditionally have sent such messages and assurances of prayer to a new U.S. president upon his inauguration and have included mention of issues of concern, particularly about the dignity of every human life.

"At a time when the grave crises facing our human family call for farsighted and united responses," Pope Francis wrote to Biden, "I pray that your decisions will be guided by a concern for building a society marked by authentic justice and freedom, together with unfailing respect for the rights and dignity of every person, especially the poor, the vulnerable and those who have no voice. I likewise ask God, the source of all wisdom and truth, to guide your efforts to foster understanding, reconciliation and peace within the United States and among the nations of the world in order to advance the universal common good," he said.

With Catholic News Service